


This Blue Neighborhood

by big_brother_wrath



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: M/M, Sad and Sweet, little kids au, mentioned Grillems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 03:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6938479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/big_brother_wrath/pseuds/big_brother_wrath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoole doesn't need anything more in his life than Matt Peake. Matt doesn't need anything more in his life than Sean Poole. They certainly don't need the blue neighborhood that's trying to spit Spoole out if it. </p><p>"We kissed when we were kids but then you moved away and now we both go to the same college" AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Blue Neighborhood

The sun was crisp and fresh, brighter than it was yesterday and it drew two boys out from their quiet, calm homes. One with brilliantly green eyes and a too big red trucker’s cap, the other quiet and already wise beyond his years. 

Matt always followed Spoole around their neighborhood, letting his friend take him on mystic adventures to faraway seas and fantasy lands. Yesterday they had been treasure hunters, scouring the banks of the river beyond their houses in search for Captain Henry Avery’s treasure. Spoole had concocted some tale about Avery leading a band of the world’s most famous pirate captains to El Dorado and it was their duty to chase after the pirate and claim all of that booty for themselves.

“What’re we doing today?” Matt asked as he zipped the folds of his jacket, tucking his hands into the pockets despite it being a wonderfully sunny day. He had moved from California, this cool weather made him shiver, unlike Sean, who wore flimsy pieces of flannel and shorts that showed off his scraped knees. There were beaver plasters on them today. Peake frowned and dug his face into the collar of his jacket, remembering Spoole tripping on a stray branch and getting mud all over himself yesterday. He felt partially responsible, since his parents always drilled that since Matt was the oldest, he had to protect everyone younger than him.

Spoole didn’t answer Matt’s question, just sipped his cold box of apple juice. The condensation made his fingers slippery and the juice chilled his teeth, making them hurt whenever he bit into the straw. Green eyes were focused on the horizon and Matt guessed that his friend was seeing another adventure beckoning to him. 

“Let’s run away,” Spoole whispered and Matt turned to him, raising a brow and pulled his hands from the pockets. He held it out and Sean passed the box over, letting Peake sip from it. Apple juice may be his favorite drink, but Matt meant more to Sean than juice. He could sip whenever he wanted to.

“Why do you wanna run away? Aren’t your mom and dad nice?” Peake asked before sticking the chewed plastic between his lips. He sipped quickly and passed it back, not wanting to feel greedy. 

Spoole took the box back and finished it, setting the empty carton next him. He stood, brushing the stray dirt from his shorts. Matt looked up at his friend and gently tugged him back down, staring at Spoole’s fat cheeks. His mom has always pinched his friend’s cheeks, leaving them red and slightly sore. Everyone thought Sean was adorable, and Matt couldn’t argue with them. His best friend had freckles that stretched from one cheek to another, like an ocean. His skin was still soft despite all the cuts and bruises he was prone to. Spoole was like Shirley Temple, Matt reasoned. Peake had seen the commercials for her CDs, she wasn’t as cute as his friend but it was close enough.

“Spoole, what’s wrong?” Matt asked quietly, voice as loud as breeze blowing their hairs. Sean still didn’t look at him, staring at the horizon, but Peake watched Spoole. He watched bright green eyes downturn and for once, he saw fear set between them. Color drained from Spoole’s cheeks and he sucked in a breath, sighing slowly.

Spoole enjoyed the way his lungs burned whenever he sucked in too much air; it felt like nature was fighting him from the inside. Today, he wanted nature to fight him and win, to whisk him away from this neighborhood, where all the houses were the same dumb robin’s egg blue and all the shutters were egg white. There were so many grown ups and their kids. Some were his friends, but none of them were like Matt Peake. 

Matt Peake with his really nice curled hair and pretty brown eyes that saw all the little details before Spoole did. Who didn’t mind waiting for Spoole and told him to slow down when he drank apple juice too fast. Sean could hardly imagine life without Matt. He could imagine it without Riley, Matt’s dog. He could imagine it without his mommy or daddy, or Mrs. Peake and Mr. Peake. All Spoole needed, he thought, was Matthew Peake, and life wouldn’t be too bad.

Except life didn’t want to be good, it wanted to be bad.

“My parents are moving,” Spoole whispered at least, voice soft and vulnerable. He swallowed and balled his hands, little fists brushing against the wooden steps of his porch. Sean slowly turned his head to look at his friend’s reaction and felt his chest hurt when he saw Matt’s calm face twist into something neither of them knew how to describe. It was like drinking too much cold milk and playing too long in the sandbox, their stomachs weighed down like lead and lungs constricting around their hearts.

“But you can’t move… Why are you moving?” Peake asked quietly, scooting closer to his friend. Spoole let their skinny legs bump against each other.

“My dad says he found a better place to live. We’re going to Washington,” Spoole mumbled and Matt frowned, looking away and down the street to his own house. He didn’t want Sean to move anywhere but closer to him, so they could hop the garden fence and spend nights staring up at the night sky again, just like the one night they had stargazed.

Mrs. Peake wasn’t happy to find her son pointing at the Little Dipper, but it was precious to see Spoole curled up in Matt’s arms, green eyes heavy with sleep but still Sean fought to listen to his best friend name the pretty lights twinkling down on them.

“Why can’t you live with us?” Peake asked quietly and Spoole dragged the heel of his sneaker across the wooden boards, listening to them scrape before shrugging moodily.

“I think your dad already knows, so he’ll just take me back here, or drive me back to Washington,” Spoole mumbled and Matt shook his head.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t, you can live in my room and we can have sleepovers like we do anyway,” Peake insisted and Sean looked at him, a small smile on his lips. Matt glanced at them before back up at Spoole’s sad eyes, his own gut twisting when he realized Sean didn’t believe him.

“I won’t,” Matt promised helplessly. Spoole shook his head.

“I don’t wanna leave Mattie,” he whispered and leaned his head on Matt’s shoulder, for once happy that his friend had bypassed his height. Peake rested his head on Spoole’s, just like they did in the movies his mom watched. His fingers found Spoole’s and gently rested on top of them.

The silence between them was deafening, but at the same time it wasn’t enough. Streaks of gold, orange, pink, and blue started to paint the sky, signaling it was time for dinner. But neither of the children move. It wasn’t until Mama Poole stepped out and told Matt he could come in for supper, but he had to go home right after because Sean needed his sleep.

Matt tried to ignore the boxes surrounding the Poole house, some labeled and others still open and empty. Peake wished he could unbox all of the things but he knew he’d only get yelled at and Spoole would still have to leave for stupid Washington.

“Bye Matt,” Spoole whispered from his place at the door, his mother washing dishes and father drying them in the kitchen.

Peake fiddled with his zipper again before holding his arms out. Spoole didn’t hesitate, left his spot and hugged Matt like his friend was the life preserve floating in the vast ocean. They embraced for a good minute and Spoole looked up at his friend, their eyes almost glowing in the night sky. Sean swallowed and watched Matt smile calmly, even though there was catastrophe looming over them.

Spoole made a decision right there.

“Don’t go to sleep tonight,” Spoole mumbled. “I’ll come to you, and we can run away together. Me and you, we can go be Tarzan and Jane, except it’ll be Matt and Spoole. I won’t go to Washington, or anywhere, without you ever.” 

Peake swallowed at the plan, heart pounding strangely in his chest. His blood roared in his ears and he couldn’t say no to those green eyes, nodding weakly and letting his best friend slip from his arms. Sean waved with renewed vigor as he stepped back into the blue house. Matt watched the wooden door close and looked around the street, the lights turning on and illuminating their blue neighborhood.

He walked home silently, mind already racing light years ahead of him. There was a backpack in his closet they could use, and Peake was sure his dad wouldn’t miss some of his tools in the garage. He’d just have to be sneaky, for Spoole’s sake.

0o0o0o0

Spoole stared at the Duff watch resting on his nightstand, his house groaning quietly under the wind. It was past his bedtime but Sean didn’t care, he wouldn’t have bedtimes after tonight. He’d have Matt and the vast unknown on the other side of the creek. There were woods there, so they could play all the time and never be bored with school and homework and stupid girls like Jenny who always tried to pull Peake away.

Sean stared at the clouds blocking the moon from his window, not minding how dark it was. The puppy night light in the corner illuminated his room enough to see, plus there was a flashlight in his backpack, among other things. Sean didn’t really know what to bring, so he emptied his school work on to the floor and refilled the pouches with toys he thought he could share with Matt, one of his small flashlights, and a big can of roasted nuts, just in case they got hungry before they found food.

He glanced at the watch and realized he was too antsy to wait anymore. He wanted to be with Matt right now, no matter what. Spoole threw the sheets off of him, slipping onto the floor. The Spiderman onesie was flung off and he donned the same outfit he had earlier, deciding it was a true adventurer’s outfit. 

Sean stopped by his bathroom to pull some of his bandages out from the mirror cabinet, leaving a few in case his mommy cut herself like she had tonight. She would probably use them after he was gone, or at least they would be put to use somehow.

The front door opened with little noise and Spoole closed it silently, sucking in a breath as he stared at the dumb neighborhood he had grown up in. It wasn’t bad, if only it hadn’t tried to spit him out.

Spoole snuck down the street, dodging the lights until he was at the Peake residence. Matt’s window was above the garage and Sean dug out his flashlight, flicking the beam against the shutters until they parted. Peake’s face was like a breath of fresh air, a huge grin spreading on both of their faces at the sight of each other. 

Matt pushed the window to his room open and looked at his friend. 

“Hi Matt,” Spoole whispered and Matt chuckled. It wasn’t something funny, but laughing felt right.

“Hi Sean,” Matt whispered back. “Gimme a second, I’m going to come down!” 

Matt pulled away from the window, closing it to save the heating bill. He wandered to his desk and turned on the lamp, hoping his mom found the letter he had left and understood. There was no life without Sean, and he’d rather be with Sean than the rest of the cul de sac, even if they promised fizzy drinks and candies. 

Peake shouldered on his backpack, bouncing it around until the weight was comfortably spread. He was wearing his jacket and special shoes for hiking, and there were goodies he couldn’t wait to share with Spoole once they got far enough. 

He pattered to his front door, looking around the quiet house one last time. Matt felt sad he was leaving, but there wasn’t much here for him without Spoole. Washington was too far away, and Peake couldn’t walk that far. The only thing he would miss was his dog, but Riley would be fine without him. His sister would take good care of their doggie when she was old enough.

“Bye everyone,” Peake whispered, hand on the knob and turning it. He stepped out into the night and closed the door, stepping over to his best friend. 

Spoole looked happy to see him and Matt let him press their foreheads together, giggling when he felt hot puffs of Sean’s minty breath across his cheeks. They stayed like that for a second, soaking in the taste of freedom on their lips and the smell of incoming rain in the air. 

Peake popped an eye open, letting Spoole keep on nuzzling him but stared at the dark clouds that hid the moon. He pulled away from Sean and gestured towards the away street, holding out his hand for Spoole. His friend’s hand was cold, but Matt knew they would warm up when the sun came back out. 

They walked down the street, silently agreeing to save all conversations until they were far enough away from the blue neighborhood. Matt guided Spoole with memory, winding through the houses until they hit the main street, where there weren’t any cars and the street lights were brighter.

“Mattie?” Spoole whispered and Peake looked at him, away from the clouds over them. Spoole smiled brightly up at his friend, happy just to have his attention. Matt chuckled and squeezed Sean’s hand and together they walked down the road.

Asphalt gave away to unpaved rock, some small enough to get into their shoes but Matt let Spoole shake the annoying ones out before they continued. The chipped yellow barrier, with its red circle and rusted chain, didn’t stop them. It was meant for cars and not two runaway kids who could easily duck underneath and continue on their adventure.

“Oh, oh we could have a pet wolf, so you can name her Riley and it’ll be like your Riley,” Sean said excitedly and Matt nodded, cheeks red and cold from the night. Spoole hadn’t brought a jacket, but promised he didn’t get cold. If he got too cold before the sun came up, Spoole reasoned that he could share Matt’s jacket and it would be all okay. 

“Yeah? And what about Ryan?” Peake asked and Sean shrugged absentmindedly, looking down at their shoes before smiling again.

“The river might have turtles in it, so that’s good,” Spoole answered, feeling smart for thinking of a solution. Peake puffed out a laugh and pressed their heads together, a habit they started once they left. It was like a hug, except it wouldn’t make them stop.

“We could be bush men, like they said on Discovery Channel. Wear leaves and stuff! I bet we look so cool in leaves!” Sean claimed and looked at Matt for confirmation. His friend nodded along before telling Spoole to stop. Their hands separated for the first time but Matt needed both hands to climb the hill leading to the creek. 

“Be careful,” Sean whispered, watching Matt get on all fours and carefully calculate his steps. Spoole swallowed and began to follow, taking a path next to Peake so he didn’t get sprayed with dirt and rocks. Matt reached for his friend and pulled Spoole the rest of the way up, their chests huffing tired breaths into the air. 

“D-Did you bring… Water?” Sean asked hopefully, cheeks red from strain and the cold. The wind was picking up and it blew his flannel into the air. He wished he had brought a coat.

“N-No… But you can drink from the river,” Matt answered, only slightly out of breath.

Spoole nodded and got back to his feet, remembering their mission. Peake took his hand after wiping the gravel from his palms. They didn’t talk as much as they had before, but it was okay. Matt knew both of them were a little bit tired from climbing. 

The creek wasn’t wide to an adult, but it was to two eight year olds. Water ran clear, revealing the rock bed underneath them and the little minnows would dart around in the daytime, but they were asleep at this hour. Spoole fell to his knees and cupped some of the cold water into his hands and sipped.

“It tastes weird,” he mumbled but finished his handful nonetheless. Matt smiled but looked worriedly up at the clouds, flinching when he saw a flash of lightning. Thunder almost immediately followed and Peake remembered something about his dad saying that meant the storm was close. He needed to take them somewhere dry.

“Okay Matt, I’m ready!” Spoole answered, fishing in his backpack for the small flashlight. The beam shined across the waters, making them dance and look like a disco. Sean was temporarily fascinated by the lights but still, they needed to get across the river.

Peake took Spoole’s hand and guided them down the creek, where the water was deeper and ran a bit faster. Their parents had said they couldn’t go this far, but who cared? Their parents couldn't tell them what to do. Matt pointed at rocks and Spoole flashed his little beam at them, tracing them across the way. Peake looked at Spoole and bent down, stripping off his hiking boots and socks. Spoole did the same.

“Gimme,” Matt said and Spoole passed his shoes over. Matt stuffed them into his backpack and pulled out his own flashlight, an adult one that was LED, or the label said so at least.

“I’m going to go first, to make sure it’s safe,” Peake said and rolled up his jeans. Spoole nodded and watched as Matt stretched his leg. The first rock was easy, and from there it was hopping from one mound to another. Peake guided the way, flashlight bobbing with every jump. The river gurgled under him, like it was laughing at the entertainment.

“Okay! Sean?” Matt shouted across and Spoole wiggled his flashlight in response. He swallowed and tightened the straps of his backpack around his shoulders. He stared at the waters and suddenly his resolve weakened, a scared light passing to his eyes. To make matters worse, lightning flashed against and thunder made Sean yelp away from the edge.

“Spoole?!” Matt shouted, shining his flashlight. He could see his friend and gestured for him to go ahead and come over. Sean whipped his head side to side, eyes squeezed shut. 

“No! It’s too far! I… Come back Matt!” Spoole shouted and Peake shook his head. 

“I can’t, this is the only way to go! C’mon Sean! Don’t be a scaredy cat!” 

“I-It’s too far! I don’t wanna Matt. Mattie, come get me!” 

Peake groaned and rubbed his hair, messing the bed head up even more. 

“Spoole, come on! I’ll catch you, you won’t fall. Just do what I did!” Matt shouted and Spoole looked at his friend before down at the first rock. He stretched his leg and rested it against the cold stone, pulling the other leg so he stood on it. 

“Not hard right? I’ll catch you Spooleo, come here,” Matt called, tone softening as he coaxed his best friend across the bank. 

“Just like hopscotch,” Sean whispered and began to hop across the rocks, his weak beam of light floating in the air. 

Matt watched, grin on his face as Sean moved closer and closer to the bank. His hand was already out to take Spoole, fingers eager to meet his friend’s again. 

To his horror, as Spoole jumped from the second to last rock, he landed funny. Spoole’s balance was thrown off and Matt screamed, running forward. Everything was happening too fast for him, and Matt felt too slow. He slid onto the edge of the bank just as Sean fell backwards into the river. 

“Mattie!” Spoole screamed in the cold water, getting swept up by the current. Matt reached for his friend and snagged the edge of his soaked flannel, pulling with all his might. Spoole began to edge towards the lip, other hand floundering to catch some of the grass growing there. Peake yelled and hefted his friend up from the waves, both of them landing on the earth. Spoole made a squelch when he hit the dirt.

Matt’s heart hurt, adrenaline pumping his small body with exhausting hormones. His vision was sharper and everything smelled different, like worry and sickness. He barely registered Spoole’s keychain flashlight bobbing away in the waters.

“Sean?” Peake croaked out, turning onto his side. He stared at his friend before turning on his flashlight and turning it towards the small figure. Spoole was shaking, small whimpers coming off his lips. Matt crawled over and turned him onto his back, gasping when he saw the tears mixing with the river water. 

“Spoole, no no don’t cry,” Peake whispered, feeling tears prick his own eyes. Sean shook his head and clutched onto the folds of Matt’s jacket. Peake took the small hand and found it freezing, shaking like a leaf in the wind. He needed to get his friend warm.

“H-Hey, it’s okay, I’m here okay?” Matt whispered and tried to help Sean onto his feet. His friend refused to cooperate and Matt slumped. 

“Spoole we need to go, you can’t be cold.”

The air between them filled with the sound of the creek and Spoole whimpering. The little boy had never felt so scared in his life, where everything felt on the line and nothing felt right anymore. The water had been so cold, zipping through his clothes and hitting him in his stomach and chest and legs and mouth and throat and hair and everything. It choked him and went inside, freezing all it touched. And it scared Sean to his core. 

“N-No,” Spoole whimpered and looked at Matt through his tears, seeing the blurry edges of his friend lean down and press their foreheads together. Spoole whimpered and tried to press closer to Matt but his friend pulled away. 

“I have a blanket in my backpack, let me dry you Spoole,” Peake begged and thanked God when Sean nodded. Peake broke away and dragged his bag over, ruffling through its contents until he could get to the fleece blanket underneath. He didn’t care what fell out when he ripped the blanket out, leaving the bag in the dirt as he rushed to unfold the blanket.

Matt laid the blanket on top of Spoole and began to press down, trying to absorb as much water as he could. Soon, the fleece became damp and cool, but thankfully Sean’s shivering reduced to minute quakes.

“Better?” Peake asked and Sean nodded, giving him a weak smile. Peake sighed happily and let his friend sit up, wrapping him in the material until he was like a burrito. 

“Mattie?” Spoole asked, blinking his green eyes at his friend. Matt looked at him and found an expectant expression. Peake sat in front of his burrito friend and pressed their foreheads together, not minding the wet hair plastered onto Sean’s forehead.

“I was scared too Sean,” Matt explained and Spoole shook his head, tilting it so Matt was looking at him.

“But I had you,” Spoole answered and Matt scoffed.

“Fat much that did. You still fell into the river,” he mumbled and Spoole huffed, breath chilly. Peake tugged the blanket closer to his friend. 

“You caught me Mattie, and saved me. Without you…” Spoole broke from his sentence, not wanting to imagine what would happen. “...I’d be moving to Washington if it wasn’t for you. You do a fat much for me, Matt. You saved me from Lennard on the playground yesterday, and said you’d spend time with me even when you could’ve played with the fifth graders.” 

Matt chuckled as he recalled each memory. It wasn’t nothing, all things he could do over and over for Spoole if he was ever given the chance. The two of them glanced at each other and Spoole sighed happily, wiggling in his burrito and making Peake laugh.

Sean loved the way his friend laughed. Even if it was rare, it was nice. Matt’s shoulders bounced and his mouth opened into a handsome smile that was reserved just for him. It was perfect.

Matt was in the middle of laughing when he felt soft lips on his, and he looked at Spoole, whose face was suddenly too close to his. Not that he minded of course. Sean’s lips were the same texture as the peaches his mom loved to share, and when Spoole pulled away, Matt wished he had eaten more of those peaches. They shared air for a second. Matt smelled spearmint and sunshine in Spoole’s breath and Spoole smelled grape and comfort in Matt’s.

“... Isn’t that something only grown ups do?” Peake whispered and Spoole blushed, opening his mouth to answer but a loud rumble of thunder startled both of them. Matt quickly gathered their things and thrust Sean’s shoes at him, telling him to lace up. Spoole tugged his shoes on and undid the burrito, tugging it like a cape around him. It was held together by one hand and Peake took the other, pulling them to the edge of the woods. 

Rain began to fall as they hit the forest, thick droplets of water hitting the leaves but leaving the two of them alone. Matt tugged the blanket off of Spoole and laid it at the base of a tree, making some bedding to share between them. Sean hugged himself and fought off the chill of the storm, teeth clacking lightly in his mouth.

“Here,” Matt said and unzipped his jacket, throwing it over Spoole’s shoulders and going back to fixing their “bed.” Sean happily took the jacket and tugged the zipper up, snuggling into the too big jacket. The smell of the Peake detergent floated into his nose, but Spoole still sniffed a hint of something he could only call “Matt.”

“Mattie,” Spoole whispered and Peake glanced at him, his thing sweater barely keeping the cool off of him. Matt was cold, but he knew Sean needed that jacket more than he did. Peake slumped onto the bed and gestured for Spoole to join him.

They shared the space again and Spoole couldn’t see anything but Matt’s face. Peake wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder and tugged him close, their foreheads pressing together again. 

“I’m always gonna be here to protect you,” Peake mumbled and Sean smiled and unzipped the jacket. Matt watched his friend slide the material off of his skinny figure and throw it on top of them, making a blanket. Spoole stuck his tongue out, obviously proud he had thought of something Peake hadn’t.

“I know Mattie, but I wanna try to protect you too,” Sean answered and Matt rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but what if I want to let you play and not be worried about me?” 

“I can play with you, so we can look after each other,” Spoole answered. “We’ve been doing it like that since you moved here.”

Peake found the answer satisfying enough and closed his eyes, body tired from their journey. Spoole looked worriedly at his friend but relaxed when Matt nuzzled their noses together. 

“We can walk more in the morning okay?” he answered and Spoole sighed, breath just a bit warmer than before. Matt cracked an eye open before leaning in and pressing their lips together again, hearing Sean gasp in surprise. Spoole didn’t move away though, just let their innocent kiss last as long as they could.

They fell asleep with their fingers linked together and foreheads pressed close. Rain lulled them to a quiet slumber and thunder didn’t wake either of them. 

Matt woke up from his slumber, eyes blearily cracking open when he felt strong arms lift him off the ground. He saw Spoole get lifted as well, somewhere registering his father’s hands cradling his head. He whimpered as their fingers separated, too sleepy to satisfy his craving for Spoole’s touch.

“Don’t take ‘im,” Peake mumbled but fell back asleep.

0o0o0o0

They got grounded for an entire week when they woke up. Peake’s parents were patient, but it was obvious they were angry for making him worry. Matt recounted every step of the journey under their eyes, even when he caught Spoole from the river.

He didn’t mention the kisses. 

Spoole’s parents were less kind, yelling at him and demanding to know where he got those thoughts in his head. He was left in his room crying, but the story had been ripped from his lungs. 

They couldn’t tear the kisses from him though, those were his to keep.

0o0o0o0

“Mom, Spoole wasn’t at school today, can I go visit him?” Matt asked from his seat at the table. His fruit snacks were neatly organized on the wooden surface, grapes getting nibbled on first before he moved onto his favorite fruits. 

Mrs. Peake hesitated across from the table and she set the magazine down, looking at her son with forlorn brown eyes. She cleared her throat and opened her lips to say something, but stopped.

“S-Sure honey… Go say hi to Spoole. Actually, why don’t we all go say hi?” she asked quietly and picked up Matt’s baby sister from her high chair. Matt shrugged off the strange tone and scooted out of the chair, stuffing some of the fruit snacks back in their wrapper to share with Spoole. 

They dressed and walked down the street to the same robin’s egg blue house. Matt took one look at the moving truck before breaking into a run. He ignored his mother begging him to slow down, mind focused on the one thing that was worth his attention in the house.

“Spoole?!” Matt shouted and the Poole house stopped. Papa Poole was in the middle of lifting a box from the floor, an outline of their now gone sofa in the carpet. Mama Poole had small knick knacks in her hands, ones that were going into a box full of paper wads. 

Spoole ran out of his room and looked at Matt, green eyes broken and dried tears on his cheeks. Matt didn’t waste his breath with the adults, skipping up the steps to his friend. He was tugged into Sean’s cleared room and the door shut behind them. 

“You’re leaving?” Matt asked, wrinkling the snacks in his hand. Spoole nodded weakly and his lower lip trembled, tears rushing to his face again. He sniffled and angrily wiped the drops away.

“I said I didn’t want to, but they said I didn’t have a choice. I couldn't’ tell you or else they’d give away Ryan,” he answered and gestured at the terrarium, the tortoise wiggling blissfully on a rock. Matt glared at the reptile before looking back at Sean.

“I don’t want you to leave,” Peake mumbled and held out the fruit snacks. He noticed the carton of apple juice on the floor and sat down, Spoole following him. 

“I don’t want to either Mattie, I don’t… I’m sorry,” Spoole answered as he popped an orange snack into his mouth. He passed the rest back to Peake, feeling too guilty to enjoy the treat. Matt set the snacks on the floor and pulled Sean’s head onto his shoulder.

“...You’ll visit right?” Matt asked weakly and Spoole nodded. 

“I’ll come back every summer and we can go on adventures,” Sean offered and Matt took Spoole’s fingers, remembering their runaway escapade weeks ago. He turned to look at Spoole and his friend looked too sad for his face. 

“Promise you’ll come back,” Matt demanded quietly.

Spoole looked at him and smiled, sad and weak. He leaned in and Matt met his friend halfway, their lips brushing and pressing together. Peake’s grip on Sean’s fingers tightened and it drew a soft whimper from Spoole, Matt nuzzling his friend in apology.

“I promise,” Spoole whispered and they kissed again.

0o0o0o0

Spoole came back in the summer. He came back for a shorter time the next summer. They stopped going on adventures, but Sean got into wrestling and so did Matt.

Sean stopped coming after the third summer. 

Matt stopped hoping he’d come after the fifth summer.

0o0o0o0

“Bruce, can you clean up a bit?” Matt asked tiredly, kicking a pair of boxers onto his friend’s back. Bruce grunted and shucked the pair into the hamper without looking up from his game, too focused on annihilating his boyfriend’s high score. James could eat his shit after this.

“Bruce,” Matt asked again and sighed when he realized he was being ignored. Peake gave up cleaning around the Haus. This was the kind of environment he’d live in, with six frat guys and one sorority girl who was equally messy. 

At least Elyse had the courtesy of keeping her underwear in her room.

“When’s the new guy moving in?” Adam asked absentmindedly from his game, hissing when Bruce killed him.

“Tonight, Joel’s going to go pick him up, remember?” Lawrence mumbled, flipping through his textbook before slamming it closed. Matt settled in his special spot on the loveseat, taking up the luxurious amount of space. It was his unspoken territory, no one could move Peake once he was relaxed in his little nest.

“I’m hungry,” he mumbled and Lawrence grunted in agreement, glancing at the two sitting Hausmates for confirmation. Bruce shrugged and elbowed Adam in a ploy to win, huffing a laugh when his friend curled away from him. 

“Wanna get some pizza?” Omar asked when he stepped out of the room, dressed in just his towel. He pattered across the wooden floor and to his room, getting no more attention than a toadstool would. 

“Joel’ll probably pick something up when he gets back… He said the new guy is cute and wants to make a good first impression,” Lawrence reported, staring at his phone. Matt grunted and rolled off the loveseat, resuming his clean up duty. 

Cans were thrown into their sorry excuse for a recycling bin, towels were tossed into hampers, and Febreeze was spritzed liberally around the living room. 

The doorbell rang and Lawrence looked over everyone before groaning.

“Yeah, don’t you all get up now. I got it,” he growled and set his Macbook aside, stepping away from the TV. Peake was in his room, cleaning that spot up so the new guy would at least think  _ he _ wasn’t messy. His Hausmates? Well…

“Hey, welcome!” Lawrence called and Matt set his jacket on the hook behind his door, smoothing it out. Joel’s loud voice echoed in the hallway and Peake strained to try and hear their newest addition. It was mostly moving boxes around, James coming home just in time to carry five at once.

Matt finally poked his head out to offer some help to the new guy, stepping up behind him.

“Hey, I’m Matt. I think we’re Hausmates now,” he mumbled, picking up a box. The new guy (who had a nice ass, at least to Matt) turned, struggling with his box and his cap was covering his face. 

“H-Hi Matt, I’m… Oh shit!” he shouted and Peake immediately rushed forward, pushing the box back against the man’s chest. He chuckled and looked at the man’s face, trying to gauge if he was alright.

Bright green eyes, straight nose, freckles that kissed from one cheek to another like an ocean. Soft pink lips that looked like peaches, Matt’s favorite fruit. Matt was suddenly sure that if he smelled the newcomer, it would be like snorting sunshine. 

“M-Matt?” Spoole asked weakly, holding the box against his chest. Their hearts pounded furiously against their chests, syncing up in some mad way that had rouge kissing the duo’s cheeks.

“Sean,” Peake whispered and nearly dropped his box in surprise. They continued to stare at each other before a loud voice rang between them.

“Bruce, come look at this! Matt’s already making moves on the new guy!”

0o0o0o0

“Wait wait, so let me get this straight,” Matt said, listening to Spoole giggle helplessly next to him. “You did what for your senior prank? If I did that, Father Brian would’ve thrown me out, no doubts about it!”

“I went to public school Matt, we got away with a lot of things as a senior,” Spoole gasped out. “We just pied every teacher we had in the face. It was a movement, and we got in trouble but it was funny.” 

Matt barked out a laugh, eyes closing as he felt a joy he hadn’t felt in a long time. This was just the way it was with Sean, unparalleled happiness and a fresh ray of sunshine. The night was filled with Matt’s laughter, stars twinkling with mirth over them. 

“And you’re here, because you want a degree in video productions,” Peake concluded, wiping some tears from his eyes. Spoole nodded and looked up at the stars, reaching out to trace the Little Dipper in them. Matt shook his head and took his friend’s wrist.

“Polaris, then you go from there,” he answered, tracing the constellation with Spoole’s hand. He let go, but Sean stilled pointed at the star, specifically the North Star.

“You never told me your middle name was North,” Sean whispered and Matt shrugged the question off.

“I didn’t think it was important,” he answered and glanced at Spoole, breath hitching when he found the man staring at him. Peake didn’t know what to do about his heart hurting this much, in the addicting pain similar to kiss Spoole the day before he left for Washington.

“... I think it’s important,” Sean mumbled and Matt broke out into a smile, leaning and cupping his best friend’s neck.

“I think I’m going to kiss you,” Peake explained, fiddling with the short locks of brown on Sean’s nape. Spoole blushed and closed his green eyes. 

“Okay. I want that,” Sean whispered and Matt finally closed the distance between them, their lips pressing together once again. It’s a different feeling, their beards scraped against each other but it was still the same. Spoole tasted like spearmint. Matt tasted like Aquafresh. 

They felt young again, young and together. Neither of them needed anything more from the world. College, their degrees, the Haus and everyone in it… They could live without them. 

And they could live without the blue neighborhood that dragged them together in the first place.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for reading This Blue Neighborhood. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was written with Wild by Troye Sivan playing in the background. Huge thank you to barrio, my Speake cheerleader, for giving me the motivation to write this. 
> 
> If you liked this, please let me know! A quick "I liked it" will suffice. You can find me at sarcasmrights over on tumblr. I do requests so if you want something written, lemme know. Stay safe out there.


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